Kidnapping allegedly a stolen gun dispute

Steamboat Springs  Two Hayden men accused of kidnapping and threatening a 17-year-old boy Friday in a dispute about a stolen handgun were released from the Routt County Jail on Tuesday on $20,000 bonds.

Joey Allen Vreeman, 22, was arrested Friday night on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping, robbery, menacing and misdemeanor criminal mischief. Kenneth Edward Muhme, 30, was arrested the following day on suspicion of second-degree kidnapping and menacing.

According to police affidavits, Vreeman and Muhme forcefully removed the teenage boy from a rest stop bathroom just east of the Moffat-Routt county line on U.S. Highway 40, then they took him to Elkhead Reservoir and threatened to shoot him.

Routt County Sheriff's Office Investigator Ken Klinger said Monday that the incident still is under investigation and other people may have been involved. Klinger did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

Last month, Vreeman reported a handgun stolen from his residence and indicated to Hayden police that he suspected the alleged victim and another juvenile took it.

Muhme and Vreeman allegedly forced open the door of a rest stop bathroom Friday, put the boy in a chokehold, then carried him out of the bathroom and placed him in a vehicle, according to the sworn affidavits. They then rifled through his pockets, taking cash, a pocket knife and sunglasses, the affidavits state.

Vreeman then drove to Elkhead Reservoir. During the drive, Muhme allegedly pulled a knife on the teen, threatening to use it if the boy "did something stupid," and repeatedly threatened to beat him with a sock full of quarters, according to the affidavits.

At the reservoir, after Vreeman allegedly threatened to shoot him with a shotgun, the boy told the men that if they took him back to Hayden he could get the handgun back, according to the affidavits. Back in Hayden, the boy fled the vehicle and ran into a home, where he asked the resident to call police, the affidavits state.

Vreeman was detained Friday night by the Hayden Police Department. Muhme, who allegedly fled the scene, was arrested at his residence Saturday without incident.